1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to animal protective devices and, more particularly, is concerned with a protective garment for an animal's front legs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Household pets often demonstrate a proclivity towards particular types of physical problems due to their generally sedentary way of life. For example, certain types of injuries, such as calluses, often develop on a dog's knee or leg areas due to the dog's lying prone on a hard surface, such as a cement or wood floor, for a substantial part of the day. Additionally, a dog may suffer significant hair loss due to the continual rubbing of its leg areas against a rug or other floor surface.
A number of devices have been specifically developed to treat injuries such as calluses and other wounds typically incurred by a pet as hereinbefore described. Some representative examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. to Friedman (No. 3,791,383), Rotolo (No. 4,479,457), and DeAngelis et al (No. 4,510,888).
The Friedman and DeAngelis et al devices each basically includes a tubular member for enclosing the knee and adjacent leg areas of the pet. The Rotolo device is a more specifically limited protector for the knee area of the pet. Each of these devices has inner features which support the application of medication to the wounded area of the pet. Further, each device is configured so as to inhibit the pet's ability to remove the device. The pet is thereby prevented from licking the medication off the wound or from nipping at the wound itself.
None of these devices, however, is specifically targeted towards the prevention of calluses and other wounds from developing on pets. Nor are they particularly focused on inhibiting the loss of pet hair from the pet's leg areas due to their continual rubbing against flat household surfaces. Consequently, a need exists for a protective garment of simple design and construction, for the inexpensive fabrication thereof and for ease in wearing by a household pet. The garment should be made of a stretchable, durable, machine-washable fabric with a cushioning texture for comfortable, frequent, repeated wear by the pet. The garment should further be of such design as to enclose the knees and adjacent upper and lower leg portions of an animal sufficiently to prevent direct contact of these areas with rug or floor surfaces. Rather, the texture of the garment fabric should provide a cushiony layer between the animal's vulnerable areas and rug and floor surfaces so as to minimize the potential for callus development or for pet hair loss from such areas.